Local Issues

A Progressive Vision for Lakewood

A Check on Privatization. The short-term savings promised by privatizing local services turn into real, long-term costs. Privatization eliminates good local jobs, and local accountability; poor-quality work ends up costing the taxpayer more than before.

Transparent Government. Leaders should involve the community at each stage of important decisions. Not just community listening, but community participation in the decision-making process.

A Welcoming City. In a region struggling with population loss, Lakewood can thrive by being as welcoming as possible. We need to keep housing options for all income levels, and all age groups. We should actively protect green card holders, refugees and others that might be affected by dramatic changes in national or state immigration programs.

Green Space and Parks. Invest in our parks for a healthy environment and community. Playgrounds, dog parks and sports facilities promote options for fitness and for knowing our neighbors.

Replace Breed-Specific Legislation

It’s time to replace Lakewood’s pit-bull ban. Enforcement is costly, and the legal status of breed-specific bans is increasingly shaky. Most important of all, this approach has proved ineffective in study after study, as well as locally. Breed-neutral policies, which focus on irresponsible owners rather than dog types, have demonstrated real-world safety improvements. Let’s adopt them here in Lakewood.

Accessibility

As a city council member, I’ll work to keep residents informed about what’s going on in their government, and to keep myself informed about what’s going on in the community. The town hall conversations I have been part of, this year, have been incredibly informative. I will continue to hold these events, which foster a public, two-way dialogue that doesn’t get to happen at formal city council meetings.

Youth Activities & Recreation

Lakewood takes pride in being an active, lively city, but we can provide better youth opportunities. The youth department can do more to connect young people with opportunities to gain experience while helping with community needs. At the same time, we need to reopen some of the basketball courts which have been closed for years, despite patient and polite attempts to work with the city.

Keep in touch, as we develop a community-oriented vision together—follow me online, sign up for e-mails, or best of all drop by an event in person.

The Latest

Endorsements
Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus, AFSCME, All Breeds Lakewood and more formal endorsements…

YouTube Channel
Follow us on YouTube for all the latest videos from Tristan.

Nina Turner visits Lakewood
Get a recap of our Ward 4 town hall, which featured a guest appearance by the former state senator and new Our Revolution chair.